This Love
by MelAnnieD
Summary: Five years ago, Ben Evans lost his wife in a tragic boating accident. After grieving for three years, he had found love again with Meg Cummings and was soon to be married. That is until one fateful night on a deserted island changes everything. 'This Love' is re-imagining of Maria's return to Sunset Beach, bringing back the drama and intrigue in new way from the cult classic soap.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**A/N: Hello! If you're reading this then thank you for clicking on my story :) This story is a re-telling of Maria's return to Sunset Beach. If you're a fan of the show, then here's some background to where the story begins. In this version of events, Terror Island hasn't happened (you'll understand why when you read it). However, the storyline of Derek returning, capturing Ben etc. did happen, and Mark has been killed by Derek - just not on Terror Island.**

 **The first part of this story has been inspired by two main things, the first, of course, being Terror Island. The other is Agatha Christie's _And Then There Were None_. That's not to say this is anything like Agatha Christie - it's not, it's just the whole mysterious island part that I've taken inspiration from.**

 **I decided to use the lyrics for _This Love_ by Taylor Swift as the prologue to the story (and the title). If you've never heard it, then definitely go check it out because it's perfect for Ben and Maria's story. **

**I hope you enjoy the story and please do leave me a comment when you're done :)**

* * *

 _Clear blue water, high tide came and brought you in_

 _And I could go on and on, on and on, and I will_

 _Skies grew darker, currents swept you out again_

 _And you were just gone and gone, gone and gone_

 _In silent screams,_

 _In wildest dreams_

 _I never dreamed of this_

 _This love is good, this love is bad_

 _This love is alive back from the dead_

 _These hands had to let it go free_

 _And this love came back to me_

 _Tossing, turning, struggled through the night with someone new_

 _And I could go on and on, on and on_

 _Lantern burning, flickered in my mind for only you_

 _But you're still gone, gone, gone_

 _Been losing grip,_

 _On sinking ships_

 _You showed up just in time_

 _This love is good, this love is bad_

 _This love is alive back from the dead_

 _These hands had to let it go free_

 _And this love came back to me_

 _This love left a permanent mark_

 _This love is glowing in the dark_

 _These hands had to let it go free_

 _And this love came back to me_

 _Your kiss, my cheek, I watched you leave_

 _Your smile, my ghost, I fell to my knees_

 _When you're young you just run_

 _But you come back to what you need_

 _This love came back to me_

[This Love by Taylor Swift]


	2. Chapter 2

The salty sea water lapped against the bow, sending splashes up and over the side of the boat. It was a clear day, the California sun beaming down on the small ferry that carried the seven passengers away from Sunset Beach. Yet despite the sun, and the clear blue skies up above, the sea told its own story. 

The waves clawed and grabbed at the boat. It almost looked like they were trying to rise over the side to wrap someone in their clutches and pull them down into the ocean.

I'm being stupid, Ben thought to himself. It's a clear day, nothing is going to happen.

Ben used to love the sea. In fact it was part of the reason he moved to Sunset Beach in the first place. Coming from a small rural village in England, the idea of moving to a place where he could swim in the sea every day was a dream. And he lived that dream - embarrassing himself by trying to surf, bodyboarding, windsurfing, and then eventually sailing his very own yacht. But he hadn't sailed in a long time. Five years to be exact.

Where once the smell of the sea could relax him, it now only brought back memories he'd tried to suppress. Where once the feel of the water on his skin made him feel free, it now sent a shiver down his spine.

He had tried over the years to overcome it, picking up the water sports he'd once loved. But it wasn't the same. It would never be the same. As for the yacht, that stayed tied to the harbour, preserved like a relic. The community knew all too well that he'd never sail it again, and so after a year the offers had started to come in.

"The Mariah's a beautiful boat", they would start, before subtly and sensitively trying to get Ben to part with it.

But he wouldn't. And he couldn't. It was the last place she'd stood.

"You look a million miles away", said a voice by his side, breaking him from his memories.

He turned around. She was a much better view than the sea. "I was just thinking about the house" he lied, "I hope it's ready when we get there".

She curled her arms around his torso, "I'm sure it'll be amazing" Meg said "and even if it's not, we'll be with all our friends, that's all we need".

Ben had booked the house on the secluded Nighthorn Island for his and Meg's joint bachelor and bachelorette party on a recommendation from an assistant at work. He had been looking for weeks for a perfect location where he could take their closest friends to get away from it all. A recent earthquake and tsunami had shaken the residents of the town in more ways than one and everyone was keen to escape.

The brochure had looked promising. An hour's boat ride away from Sunset Beach, the eight bedroom house set on the coast of the island offered stunning views and luxurious interiors. The closest shop or other human life was a three miles away where the locals made their living from fishing.

It was perfect on paper. But as Ben stood there, his arms around his fiance, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. Maybe it was the sea becoming rougher by the minute, he reasoned. But that nagging feeling wouldn't go away. That day five years ago started off bright and clear too, until the storm came that night.

As they pulled into shore, Ben shook those thoughts from his head. He was soon to marry the woman he loved, and he was looking forward to starting a new life with her. This trip was a chance to celebrate that, despite the clouds that had started to come in ominously overhead.


	3. Chapter 3

"Well it's rocky!" Sarah said as they climbed from the boat onto the rocky shore.

"Oh shush Sarah, don't start complaining already" Meg laughed.

"I'm not!" she retorted.

Ben was used to the constant bickering between the two sisters by now. In fact, he quite enjoyed it, having not seen his own family for many years. Well, apart from Derek.

"We better get moving up to the house, it looks like rain's approaching" Michael said from the back of the group.

The whole group groaned. It wasn't exactly ideal weather, but at least the had the house to enjoy this weekend.

Meg and Ben had decided to keep the party small. Sarah was joined by her boyfriend Casey, and Michael by his girlfriend Vanessa. Alongside the three couples was Gabi, Meg's best friend and Maid of Honour. Gabi's boyfriend Ricardo had declined the invite that Ben had given him through gritted teeth.

Ricardo hated Ben with a passion, and over the past five years, the feeling had become mutual.

A small path led up to the massive house, which seemed to be surrounded by trees and rocks as far as the eye could see. When they got to the door, Ben took out the key that had been left under the doormat, as instructed in the email he had received from the owner. He had thought it was an odd thing to do, but didn't question it. Maybe that's just how things worked on this island.

The weather-worn door swung open after Ben unlocked it, revealing a dark, damp entrance hall. He looked over at Meg. It wasn't exactly what had been advertised. The furniture was old and battered, yet effort had been made to clean it at least.

As they moved towards the living room in silence, a piercing scream rang out to the high ceilings.

Sarah was running in circles, flapping her arms, "it's on me, it's on me!" she squealed.

"Come here" Casey laughed, inspecting Sarah's back, "there's nothing there".

"There was a SPIDER" she yelled.

"Sarah, calm down, there's no spiders" Meg chided.

Ben suppressed a smile. He was glad he had the less high maintenance sister. Meg glanced at him, knowing what he was thinking.

The living room wasn't the luxury they were promised but it was livable. A few sofas surrounded a log fire, with a moth eaten rug on the ground, and a few musty smelling blankets to finish it off.

Into the kitchen, things picked up. Ben found a selection of his and Meg's favourite foods on the counter and in the fridge.

"Strawberries" he laughed, waving them in Casey's face, who recoiled immediately. Casey was allergic, and Meg had once fed them to him accidently.

"They have literally all our favourites Ben", Meg beamed. It made him happy to see her so pleased that he didn't even question how the owner knew their favourite foods. He certainly hadn't told them in their email correspondence.

He put it down to a coincidence, until Gabi picked up a large bottle from the counter, "Hibiki Whiskey" she read from the label.

Ben did a double take, how on earth would they know that Ben's favourite whiskey was Japanese? "Wow they must've done their research somehow", he said.

"Oh there's a note too" Gabi said, and Ben gestured for her to read it out.

" _To the Evans/Cummings Party. Welcome to Nighthorn House. Please find a selection of complimentary food and drink in the kitchen. Your bedrooms have been made up individually. We very much hope you enjoy your stay. Nighthorn is an old house, so you might hear the odd creak here or there - but don't worry, it's just our resident ghost! Regards, Mr. K. Rede"._

"Has he left his phone number?" Ben asked. "The one he gave me went dead when I tried to call him, I could only contact him via email".

"Nope nothing" Gabi said, turning the card over.

"I'm sure it'll be fine, maybe he's more of an email guy" Vanessa suggested.

"Apart from we don't have internet here" Sarah said.

"Well then we'll just go down to the fishing port if we need help" Vanessa replied, the practical thinker as always.

"We won't need help! It's all good" Michael said positively, "we're all smart capable people, we'll figure it out if that ghost starts haunting us".

Everyone laughed, even Sarah.

Two of the bedrooms were downstairs, accessible via maze like hallways. One of these had Michael and Vanessa's names on a note on the bed. As they settled in, the rest of the group went upstairs.

Upstairs, Casey and Sarah's room was next, with Gabi a couple of doors down. Meg and Ben's room was the largest at the end of the corridor. The note on their bed said " _To the happy couple. I hope this is a weekend you'll never forget"._

Ben tossed the note to one side and lay down on the bed. Meg curled up next to him.

"Thank you for organising this" she said.

"You don't need to thank me, I should be thanking you" he said.

"For what?"

"Well between Annie trying to break us up, and my brother...well you know, I'm surprised you've stayed this long".

Meg looked up at him, "none of that was your fault, you have to stop blaming yourself".

"I should've known" Ben said gravely.

It was a conversation they'd had many times. Ben had thought his identical twin brother Derek had died years ago. That was until he had kidnapped Ben last year, stealing his identity and Meg in the process. If Ben hadn't escaped in time Meg would be dead, and so would he.

"It's over, he's gone" Meg said for the millionth time. This time she knew what he was thinking.

They had both watched Derek plunge over a cliff side. He was dead. Ben had to believe that or he'd never rest.

"Right come on" Ben said with renewed energy "let's get this party started".

For the rest of the evening, the group spent their time in the living area playing typical bachelorette and bachelor party quizzes.

Ben felt a warm glow as he sipped on his whiskey. He never thought he'd find someone again, let alone someone who deal with all his baggage.

"Question number ten" Gabi announced, tipsily standing on one of the armchairs. "What's your man's biggest regret?"

They were playing _Mr and Mrs_ with the couples battling it out, and Gabi as quiz host. The aim was for each couple to have matching answers.

Michael and Vanessa's answers matched (not asking Vanessa out sooner), as did Sarah and Casey's (eating Meg's strawberry muffins).

Ben hovered his pen over his card. Everyone knew what his biggest regret was. Not being able to save her. But how could he write that in a game like this?

He scrawled down "not travelling the world" and held it up. Meg held hers up and it matched. He gave her a quick kiss and tried to force the moment out of his head.

Some days he was fine, he could look back on all the happy memories without drowning in sorrow. But there were some days, days like today, where she kept darting back in his mind uninvited. The water. The devastation on her face, turning to fear and panic. The touch of her hand slipping from his. Her screams…

 _Stop it._ He told himself. _Today is not the day for this._

He looked over to Meg to settle his thoughts and come back into the present. He had learnt to cope with memories of that night since being with Meg, and the nightmares didn't come as frequently as they used to. He could only hope they'd stop eventually.

But he was sure of one thing, whether good or bad, not a day went by that he didn't think of Maria.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Ben woke with a thumping headache. He really had drunk a lot last night. Meg wasn't by his side so he unwillingly got out of bed and went to the bathroom to shower.

As he walked down the corridor, he caught a chill. Despite Sarah's overdramatics about the spider yesterday, he had to admit there was something a little strange about this place. Ben had told the owner that he'd like to explore the island while they were here, and asked for a map, which wasn't anywhere to be found. It was as if the house was designed so they'd never have to leave.

The wood for the fire was piled high, there was more food than they could eat, not to mention the lack of contact details for anyone on the island. As the wind hit the shutters on the bathroom window, he wondered if even the weather was conspiring against them.

After showering, Ben made his way downstairs to find everyone eating a huge breakfast. Meg was taking her signature strawberry muffins (and blueberry for Casey) out of the oven, and there were delicious looking piles of toast, eggs, sausages and fruit laid on the counter.

"This all looks amazing", he said, giving Meg a hug from behind.

"We need it after last night" Michael laughed.

"I don't know what you're complaining about" Vanessa said, her hand covering her obviously sore forehead, "at least you slept last night".

"Was your room not comfortable?" Casey asked.

"Oh no, it was great" Michael said smirking, "but Vanessa thinks it's haunted"

"Shut up" she scowled, "I do not, but there was that weird scratching noise, please tell me you guys heard it!"

They all shook their heads.

"Are you serious?, it was going all night" she said exasperated, "I couldn't sleep a wink"

"The note did say the house makes noises, it was probably that", Meg shrugged and tucked into a muffin.

"It wasn't a creak though, it was a scratch. Something was scratching at the wall next door I swear!" Vanessa was the last person to be irrational, Ben thought.

"Alright, I'll go check it out" he offered.

"Casey go with him" Sarah demanded immediately, and got a incredulous look in return. "What?, there could be like...cursed mummies in there".

Ben and Casey laughed and followed the twisting corridors to Vanessa and Michael's room. When they tried to open the room next door, it was locked. As was the door next to it, and the one next to that. In fact, all the rooms apart from the ones they'd already been in were locked.

"That's…" Casey began.

"...odd" Ben finished.

They made their way outside where the winds were picking up and circled the whole house looking for windows into the locked rooms. Every single one was boarded up from the inside. The two of them gave up and went back inside to tell the others.

"It was probably just a rat or something" Gabi said nonchalantly.

Sarah went pale but said nothing. Meg had obviously had a word about insulting the holiday Ben had paid for.

After breakfast, the group decided to talk a walk around the island, without the promised map. Arm in arm Ben and Meg followed Gabi with Michael and Vanessa who had the best navigational skills, and had Casey behind them, who was helping Sarah over what seemed like every rock.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Ben asked her.

"Of course I am" she said, resting her head on his shoulder. "This was the perfect trip thing to do before the wedding", she leaned up and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Meg's approval was incredibly important to him. He wanted to give her the world. He knew sometimes he went over the top - the gondola and the car he bought her were extravagant to say the least. But he did it to compensate for times he was shut off from her and couldn't give her his whole self. Times when the past haunted him. The past two years of knowing Meg had begun to bring his old self out again, and he was determined to keep trying.

After 45 minutes of walking, they finally reached the fishing harbour on the low end of the island. It was eerily deserted. No boats were tied up and there was just one fisherman standing on the harbour with his fishing rod.

"Maybe no one's around because it's stormy" Sarah said, echoing the question they were all asking themselves.

"If that's the case, the boat's would be tied up, not out at sea" Ben said, "let's go ask this guy".

They walked further downwards to the fisherman.

"Excuse me" Ben called.

The man turned around, his eyes scanning the group and landing on Ben. They widened suddenly. Was that fear in his eyes?

"Hi, sorry to bother you" Ben said to the old man gently, he looked a little startled, "we're just visiting from Nighthorn House, are there any more people around, some nice sites on this side of the island perhaps?"

The man stared at him, unblinking and shook his head slowly.

"Maybe you could tell us a little about the island?" Gabi interjected, she had a great way with people.

He shook his head again and looked into the distance and the darkening sky.

"Is there a storm coming?" she asked.

This time he nodded, staring straight at Ben.

"Ok well maybe we'll go past the harbour and loop around before we go back to the house" Vanessa suggested.

The old man finally spoke, his voice shaking "there's nothing to see here, go back"

"But we've come all this way and we haven't found the shop yet" Sarah complained.

He looked at Ben once more, "Closed. Storm's coming. Go back. Now".

Given his tone, they didn't need to be told twice. They trudged back up the island, slightly disappointed and dejected. But a warm house was a much more welcoming prospect than being outside in a storm.

Back at the house, the group bundled back inside and Casey set about starting the fire again.

"Hey you guys, who ate the last muffin?" Sarah called from the kitchen.

"Not me! Not guilty!" were the replies.

"Well someone must've had it, I left it right there on the counter for later" she said accusingly.

"I'll make some more, jeez Sarah" Meg said, rolling her eyes and Ben laughed.

Casey walked into the kitchen, firewood in hand, "Ben where'd you put the fire poker?"

Ben had stoked the fire last night, "I left it by the fireplace".

"Well it's not there now", Casey said, puzzled.

For ten minutes, Ben, Casey and Gabi looked for the poker. "It must be here somewhere", Ben said furrowing his brow.

"You must've misplaced it man, my memory's a little hazy from last night too" Casey said.

"Mine too" Gabi admitted.

"That's one thing I do remember Gabs, you jumping on the chair singing _Chapel of love_ " Ben teased.

"Oh God, I'm never drinking again! Wait til Ricardo hears about this, I'll never hear the end of it" she said.

"Trust me, Ricardo's used to it, apparently Maria and Annie used to roll back home in all sorts of states when they were younger", Ben said, smiling at the memory.

Sometimes there were split seconds where Ben forgot everything that had happened, usually in his happiest moments. This was one of them. For a second, he forgot Maria's brother Ricardo hated him, and only remembered when they used to get along, with Ric telling him stories to embarrass his little sister.

Gabi saw that moment flicker across his face, followed by the instant guilt that he'd forgotten the past five years.

"You know, one day Ricardo will realise hating you won't bring her back" Gabi said kindly.

"I doubt it" Ben smiled. "The man has made a profession out of trying to get me locked up for her murder, he won't rest until I'm in prison".

At that moment, Meg walked in, hearing the tail end of the conversation. She knew instantly what it was about. Ricardo had tried to warn her about Ben many times.

"I could do with a nap after lunch before tonight's festivities, what do you reckon?", she said, swiftly lightening the mood.

"I think that sounds perfect", he said, grateful for the change of subject.

After lunch, everyone retired to their rooms to rest. Walking six miles with a hangover had taken it out of them.

As the sun went down, Ben's deep sleep was interrupted by a thudding on the stairs and a high pitched scream.

"Calm down, calm down" he could hear outside his door.

It woke Meg up too, "what the…?" Ben said, opening his bedroom door.

Casey was standing in the corridor, his hands clasped around Sarah's arms.

"I saw it, I saw it!" she screamed.

"What is going on?!" Meg said, appearing at the doorway. By now, Michael, Vanessa and Gabi had come to check out what the crisis was.

"You saw what Sarah?", Meg said, exasperated.

Casey managed to calm her to a point that she could speak. "I couldn't sleep so I decided to go to all the locked rooms and look under the doors to see if I could see anything"

"Like cursed mummies?" Michael teased and Vanessa nudged him.

"Anyway I don't see anything until I get to the door next to Vanessa's room, and suddenly, I see it!"

"See what!" Meg said.

"The RAT!"

The whole group seem to sigh in frustration at Sarah's amatuer dramatics.

"I thought someone had been murdered!" Vanessa said.

"You guys, it was huge, it was like the size of a foot, and it moved so fast past the door, this place is infested I'm telling you"

"Sarah", Meg said firmly. "This place is not infested with rats. Nor does it have cursed mummies. Or ghosts, just stop already, ok?"

"But...I know what I saw Meg!"

"Stop!"

Sarah shut her mouth mid-protest. She knew when it was time to stop testing her sister's patience. Ben rubbed Meg's back in support.

"Well we're all up now" Gabi said brightly. "Let's get ready for tonight".


	5. Chapter 5

By now, the weather had picked up at a rapid pace. The old fisherman wasn't joking about the storm. You could hear the rain battering the windows. So much for the outdoor party Ben had planned for tonight.

In a change of plan, the group bought the party inside, dressing in semi-formal wear. Ben had chosen dark jeans, boots and a black long sleeved pull over. Meg had gone slightly more dressed up with a deep green floaty cocktail dress and cowboy boots.

"How very Kansas" Ben said drily, looking at her shoes.

"Too much?" she said anxiously.

He laughed, "I'm joking, you look beautiful".

"Well thanks" she blushed.

The pair of them went downstairs where the rest of the group were waiting.

"Oh my god!" Meg gasped. "It's so pretty"

The living room had been decked out in sparkling yellow fairy lights. The rest of the group stood waiting with champagne glasses in hand.

"Congratulations guys" Gabi said, handing them a glass each.

"This is amazing, thank you" Ben said, addressing mainly Gabi, who he knew would've been behind the elaborate display.

"I'd like to propose a toast" Casey said loudly, clinking his glass. "Ben and Meg, we're all so excited to share tonight with you. You've had your up and downs, but you guys are perfect together and we'll always be here to support you as you start this journey. To Ben and Meg"

"To Ben and Meg!" the rest of them chimed in and clinked their glasses in union.

"And now for the entertainment" Michael said excitedly.

"Oh god, please don't strip!" Meg pleaded.

"You wish" Michael retorted. "I'm talking about this", he said waving a brown envelope at her.

She took it from him and read the message on the front.

" _Sorry I missed you just now. I came over to deliver this to you in case you wanted some rainy day entertainment. I highly recommend it, it's a hit with all my guests. Regards, Mr. Rede."_

Meg pulled out the contents of the envelope "Nighthorn House Murder Mystery Party".

"When did he deliver this?" Ben said, confused.

"Must've been when we were all napping, it had been posted through the letterbox, I found it after Sarah's screaming fit" Michael replied, and Sarah shot him an offended look.

"Ok well do you guys wanna play it?" Meg said suspiciously.

The group decided that since there was nothing else to do, they might as well do the murder mystery game. Inside the envelope there were seven cards. Five of them were blank, and two were labelled with " _Bride"_ and " _Groom",_ which Meg and Ben took. The rest were given out randomly.

The instructions stated that five of the envelopes had a card that said "innocent", one had "dead", and one had "murderer".

Everyone opened their envelopes together, hiding them from each other's gaze. Ben was relieved to find his said "innocent". Everyone else put their card back into their envelope apart from Sarah who held up her card.

"Dead" she sulked "I get all the luck".

Along with her card had come a key a small brass key with a tag attached that said "find the door to your crime scene".

"Ooh how exciting, we're gonna get to see what's behind those doors!" Vanessa said.

"Of course" Gabi agreed. "They must be kept locked for the game".

The key gave no indication of which door it was for, so the group went around every room, starting with the room next to Vanessa and Michael's bedroom where the scratching had been heard. Disappointingly, it wasn't the right door.

Finally, they found the right door next to the upstairs bathroom.

"Well Sarah do the honours" Ben said, letting her open the door.

When the door first creaked open, the boarded up windows made it difficult to see what was inside, but a strong smell of paint permeated the air. Sarah stepped inside first and then immediately jumped backwards, crashing into Ben.

Ben was next to see what was in the room, and for once had to agree with Sarah's reaction.

In the centre of the room was a double Bed, its sheets torn and mangled. The sheets were pure white covered in deep red liquid. Had it not been for the smell of paint, it could've easily been mistaken for blood. The walls were covered in it too, bloody handprints were smeared across them like someone had been clinging to life. In the corner of the room, a chest of drawers were open, with clothes falling out of it. Just next to the bed was a body shape made out in chalk.

"I guess that's your spot Sarah" Michael said. Even he seemed a little nervous.

"I - I don't wanna stay in here alone" Sarah said.

Meg stepped in calmly "it's just a set Sarah, come on it'll be fun"

"It's quite realistic isn't it?" Ben said quietly, but no one heard.

If Meg was thinking the same thing as him, she didn't show it. That this room bore a resemblance to the way Maria's studio was left in that night.

"Ok, but if I get freaked I'm coming to find you guys" Sarah continued, sitting down where the chalk figure had been drawn.

"Right" Casey started. "The instructions say we need to find the next key".

It wasn't difficult to find, it was placed in one of the drawers.

"That was easy, next instruction", Casey said, reading out the label. "Go to the downstairs study".

The six remaining suspects left Sarah to go downstairs. They had no idea which room was the study but it wasn't hard find. It was located between the entrance hall and the living room.

Inside was a much calmer set up than the bedroom. A mahogany desk stood with a large leather chair and a pile of papers on it, topped by the next key. A green lamp gave the room a glow. Another set of instructions were on the desk, which Vanessa read out.

" _In these papers lies a clue to the brutal murder in the bedroom. Figure out the riddle to reveal the truth. Two people EXCLUDING the bride and groom must work on this riddle, the remaining members should go to the wood store. In the wood store will be the same clue. Whichever team returns to the living area with the clue first will win the right to make the first accusation of murder"._

Vanessa glanced over the papers "well this is easy" she said. "Each word has one letter capitalised. All we have to do is put the words together".

"I guess this one's for you then" Michael said grinning. "And maybe someone else smart, Gabi? Sorry Casey, no offence"

They laughed, "sure" said Gabi, "we'll have it figured out in no time", she said competitively.

Ben, Meg, Michael and Casey left the girls in the study, following the instructions on the next key to the wood store attached to the kitchen. In there, stood piles of log wood for the fire. On the floor was a torch, another key and some instructions.

This time, Ben read them out " _two people, other than the bride and groom must now race the members in the study. Under this pile of wood is the same clue. Which is faster, brains or brawn?"_

"This is great!" Meg laughed. "And perfect for you two".

Michael and Casey flexed their muscles. It was a pretty big pile of firewood and Ben couldn't decide who he would place his bets on finishing first - the girls or the boys.

"We'll see you in the living room in five minutes" Michael said cockily, before handing Meg the next key.

* * *

Up in the bedroom, Sarah was sitting bored next to the "bloody" bed picking the dirt from her fingernails. The slow shuffle of feet made her glance up.

"Hey, coming to rescue me?" she said to the person in the doorway.

The figure didn't reply. Instead, they closed the door on Sarah with a swift click, locking it behind them.

Sarah scrambled to her feet and pulled at the door handle but it wouldn't open, "hey, HEY! You guys this isn't funny!"

But no one could hear her.

* * *

Down in the study, Vanessa and Gabi were just finished with their riddle.

"Ok" Vanessa said triumphantly reading out the riddle. " _Cowards die many times before their deaths;_

 _The valiant never taste of death but once. Of all the wonders that I yet have heard, It seems to me most strange that men should fear; Seeing that death, a necessary end, Will come when it will come."_

"What does it mean?" Gabi said, puzzled.

"It's Shakespeare - " Vanessa replied.

But before she could continue, the click of the door stopped her. Both women turned to see the door shut. When Gabi went over to open it, it wouldn't open.

"Oh very funny boys" Vanessa said, twisting the door handle. "You really want to win that bad that you'd lock us in here", she shouted through the door.

Michael and Casey didn't respond. For they weren't on the other side of that door.

* * *

Michael and Casey were still in the wood store, but they had stopped moving the piles of wood as soon as the door shutting on them had blocked all the light from the kitchen.

"Ben? Meg?" Michael called through the door of the wood store.

"It had to have been the girls" Casey said, only illuminated by the torch light.

"I don't get it though" Michael replied. "We have the key right here, but it doesn't unlock the door from the inside".

In fact, when Sarah, Vanessa and Gabi tried their keys from the inside the door, they found the same problem.

It seemed there was one way in but no way out.

* * *

Ben and Meg had been instructed by the final key to go to the boiler room right at the end of the house. The location of the room was such that neither of them could hear the banging and calls from the other party members.

The room was bare and empty apart from a a boiler and some metal piping. The ground was concrete and the windows were boarded up, leaving it dark and cold. Once again on the ground was a body drawn in chalk.

Ben picked up a note that had been placed in the middle of the body with a sense of unease. " _Uh oh, the bride is nearly dead"_ he read. " _Our groom must now go upstairs to his room, find the final instruction and hurry back before it's too late."_

"You better go then" Meg said.

"I'm not sure about this Meg", he replied. Ben wasn't usually one to get spooked, but this weekend, there had been certain things that just didn't feel right.

"Don't be such a baby, I'll be fine" Meg teased, giving him a playful push.

He kissed her on the head, "I'll be right back".

Leaving Meg in the boiler room, Ben sprinted up the stairs ignoring the odd bangs her could hear around the house. As soon as he entered the bedroom, he started looking through all the all the drawers, under the bed and across the window ledges for the final clue.

But he needn't have bothered. The paper was sitting right on his pillow.

"How did that get there?" he said aloud, a chill running through him as he unfolded the note.

" _Don't you know you should never leave your bride alone?"_ it said.

He dropped the note and ran. Ran faster than he ever had through the upstairs corridor, back down the stairs and through the maze of corridors to the boiler room. As he grew closer, a piercing scream almost stopped him in his tracks.

This time it wasn't Sarah. It wasn't even a scream of someone who was playing a game. It was a scream he'd heard before, one of real fear.

Ben turned the corner of to reach the doorway of the boiler room and this time he did stop dead in his tracks. Because what he saw next was what he'd been hoping was just his irrational fears.

Stood in the centre of the room was Meg. Around her chest was a vice like arm, trapping her body in place. At her temple was a gun, pointed and ready.

"Finally. We've been expecting you", the all too familiar voice said, dancing out from the shadows.

Ben took a step inside, "Derek".


	6. Chapter 6

"Hello brother" Derek said. Ben didn't have to look at him, he could hear the grin on his face.

Ben said nothing, edging closer to them.

Meg's face was as pale as a ghost, her eyes wide with terror.

"Don't come any closer" Derek said calmly, "you don't want me doing anything rash now, do you?"

Ben stopped immediately, he knew by now that any threat from Derek shouldn't be taken lightly.

"It's gonna be ok Meg" Ben said to her, keeping his eyes fixed on her from across the room.

Her voice quivered "I'm sorry, I thought…" she began.

"It's ok, it's ok", Ben replied, doing all her could to reassure her.

"It's ok" Derek mimicked, laughing. "Tell me Benny, how _are_ you going to get yourself out of this one?"

"Anything's possible" he replied, staring pointedly at Derek. He hadn't changed since Ben saw him last at the edge of the cliff.

In fact, Derek was dressed exactly like Ben. Every piece of clothing was the same. His hair too was styled the same. Even the length of his fingernails were an exact replica.

"Ah yes, my resurrection!" Derek said jovially.

Meg spoke again, stronger this time "how did you...we saw you fall off that cliff".

"I bounced" Derek said flatly before turning his head to Meg's, resting his chin tauntingly on her shoulder.

Meg winced.

While Derek was distracted, Ben took the opportunity and lunged towards him, making a grab for the gun. But Derek was too quick, pulling Meg out of the way and towards the door while Ben barreled into the opposite corner.

"Tut tut Benny boy" Derek sneered, increasing the pressure of the barrel of the gun on Meg's temple.

Ben regained his composure and the two of them began circling the room as if they were in a cowboy shootout, with Meg being dragged along.

"CASEY MICHAEL HELP!" Meg screamed desperately.

"Oh do shut up" Derek laughed "they won't be coming to your rescue".

"What have you done to them?" Meg asked, panic stricken.

"Nothing...yet, but I had to make sure they were out of the way", he smirked.

Ben suddenly realised that the rest of the party being split up into different rooms was no accident.

"It was you all along wasn't it" he said, furious that he'd let this happen. "The party, the food…". Light bulbs started to go off in Ben's head, but before he could piece everything together, Derek interjected.

"You really are stupid, aren't you? Would you like me to spell it out for you brother?"

Derek stopped circling finally, standing with his right side facing the doorway. That way, Ben thought, Derek could shoot anyone that might approach the door. Ben stopped too, directly opposite them. In the darkness of the room, it was hard to make out Meg's expression, but he kept his focus on her anyway.

"Mr. K. Rede" Derek continued, tapping his gun to Meg's head, "get it? K. R. E. D. E. Otherwise known as D. E. R. E. K."

Meg gasped and Derek was delighted by the reaction. "See I really thought you wouldn't be stupid enough to fall for that, but I overestimated your intelligence. I mean Meg, sure, she'd be fooled by a cat in a wig, but you Ben, you're supposed to be the smart brother".

Ben stood still, his jaw locked in anger. How could he have been so naive? "So tell me" Ben said, playing for time. "How did you do it?". He knew Derek wouldn't be able to resist telling them how he'd managed to trick him, and if it gave Ben time to think of a plan, he was willing to indulge him.

"It's simple really" Derek started as if he were giving a motivational speech. "Once I'd recovered from that nasty fall, I started monitoring you again. Where you went, what you did, who you worked with. One night, while you and Meg were cosied up at home, I went to your office. I knew your assistant worked late on a Tuesday, so I went in and had a little look through her emails while she dealt with the fire alarm I set off". He smiled at the memory, pleased with himself.

Meg attempted to wriggle out of his grip, but Derek held on tighter, barely acknowledging her.

"It didn't take me long to find an email from you Ben, asking your colleagues for recommendations for a weekend getaway".

"Jesus" Ben whispered. Derek had orchestrated this whole thing. It had been weeks in the planning.

Derek continued. "All I had to do was deliver a few leaflets for _Nighthorn House_ to your co-workers and one of them would suggest it to you eventually. I didn't even have to send one to you directly, word of mouth is a powerful thing isn't it?"

"So you got my email booking and that was it…" Ben said, finally looking at his twin.

"Once I knew you were coming, I could put everything in place to play you all like puppets" Derek said proudly.

"And what about the old man? The fisherman. I suppose he was in on this too" Ben said, still trying to work out how to get Meg away from him.

"Collateral damage. I told him to make sure any visitors to the island go back to the house or he'd have me to answer to."

Ben remembered the fear on the fisherman's face. It seemed obvious now that the old man had thought he was Derek.

"And now here we are" Derek smiled through the darkness.

"Just let her go". Ben could think of no way to get Meg out of this, other than through words. The rest of the group were trapped in their rooms. No one else was going to come and help them.

"I don't think so" Derek said in a sing-song voice.

"Look" Ben said extending a hand. "I'll give you all the money you want, you can have every penny, just don't bring Meg into this"

Derek pretended to think it over, "you see the issue is Benny, the money is just an added bonus"

"To what?" Ben asked, trying to remain calm.

"To watching your face as your love dies in front of your eyes"

Ben took a step forward but Derek pulled Meg tighter, "ah ah ah", he said shaking his head. "You see I never got to see the look on your face when you let Maria die, but this time I can watch every last second".

Ben clamped down on his jaw at the mention of Maria.

"You'll never get away with this!" Meg yelled.

"That's where you're wrong Meg. I managed to get you all here, I can certainly kill you both without those dimwit friends of yours suspecting anything", Derek explained.

"No one will ever believe you're Ben" Meg said, trying and failing to pull from his grasp.

"Oh please, I fooled you didn't I? And Maria, poor, innocent Maria", he said, looking directly into Ben's eyes to taunt him.

"Leave her out of this" Ben snarled.

"Don't tell me your _still_ not over it!" Derek laughed. "Well don't worry, brother, once I'm done with Meg, I'll be dropping your body in the middle of the ocean, and you'll be reunited with your beloved Maria at last - that is after another little surprise I have in store for you".

Ben didn't even want to think about what that could be.

Meg's eyes began to well up, it was as if she was facing the reality that this might really be it. Her acceptance of the situation snapped Ben back into the moment.

"How exactly do you intend on explaining Meg's disappearance, Derek?" he asked.

"Oh Meg's not going to disappear" Derek replied as if Ben were stupid, "I'm going to leave her body right here. Once I've disposed of you, I'll get our old fisherman friend and make it look like he was the one who killed Meg. Of course I'll have to kill him in self defence".

"You'd set up and kill that innocent man for this?" Ben said, sickened.

"Like I said, he's collateral damage".

The three of them stood for a few seconds, taking in the situation. Derek was ready to shoot Meg at any second. On the other side of the room, Ben had run out of options for saving her.

"Let's not delay this any longer, any last words Meg?" Derek said, adjusting his arm upwards to pull the trigger.

"Please, please don't do this!" she begged, sobbing.

"Derek, please, I'll do anything, it's me you want to kill not her!" Ben pleased.

Derek had his eyes fixed on Ben, he wasn't going to miss the opportunity to watch his reaction as Meg died, "say goodbye Benny".

Meg and Ben stared at each other. He was ready to fight Derek with everything he had, but she simply whispered."I love you…"

Right at that moment, his fiance saying her goodbyes, Ben was ready to lunge at Derek, his heels lifting from the ground. This was his last chance.

Before he had a chance to move, Derek's head had snapped suddenly to the right, looking at something in the doorway.

"How did you get out?" Derek asked angrily, his eyes darting up and down. "Don't you dare…"

A loud crack permeated the silence. Ben saw a flash of metal impacting with Derek's head and his body crumpling to the ground.

Meg lurched towards Ben and he grabbed her, pulling her away from Derek.

"Are you ok, are you ok?" he asked her, clinging to her for dear life. Her head was buried in his chest.

"Ben" she said, shaking, "oh my God, I really thought this was it". She looked up at him, tears running down her face.

He pulled her head to his, pushing his face into her hair. "You're safe now", he said.

Finally he allowed himself to look at Derek. His body was on the ground, eerily still as a pool of blood began spreading from his head.

Ben felt the presence of someone else in the room. With his mind still on holding Meg, his eyes wandered across the blood splattered floor and to the doorway to see which one of the group had come to their rescue.

With his head still resting on Meg's, all he saw first was a pair of bare feet.

He scanned upwards slowly, taking in the hem of what looked like a white cotton dress at the knees.

Next, a metal rod was shaking in the person's hand. _The fire poker,_ Ben thought absently.

It was at the waist that Ben registered that this wasn't anyone he expected. Not Gabi, or Sarah, or Vanessa. Because at the waist was where he saw the ragged ends of long brown hair.

It had only been a few seconds, but holding Meg at last, taking in this person in the doorway, it felt like he'd been standing there for hours.

Ben's eyes moved upwards, the silhouette of their jaw revealing an oval face framed by the cascading hair.

His heart began to beat a little faster. He was aware it was dark. He was aware he wasn't thinking straight. He was tired and overwhelmed. But the outline of that face... _it couldn't be._

Finally, both of their glances working in sync, their eyes met.

Even in this darkness, he could see that. His blue eyes locked into her deep brown.

Ben's heart stopped and he lifted his head bolt upright. "Maria?".


	7. Chapter 7

The fire poker hit the floor with a loud clang as it slipped from the woman's hand.

Ben was rooted to the spot, not daring to take a breath or even blink in case she disappeared as she'd done so many times in his dreams.

His mind was working in slow motion. He needed to move closer to her, to speak that name again. But he didn't get the chance. He saw the woman take a tentative step backwards, and then she was gone, spinning into the darkness.

All at once, the feeling rushed back into his body. He felt the weight of Meg's body against his. She hadn't noticed anything, hadn't heard what he'd said. It had all happened in a matter of seconds, though Ben felt like he'd been standing on that cold concrete floor for five years.

His senses regained and the realisation that the woman at the door had gone, he propelled forward, pulling Meg with him, 'MARIA!' he yelled, running towards the door.

Startled, Meg pulled at his arm to a stop, 'Ben, what are you doing!?'

'MARIA!' he shouted again, resisting Meg's pull and reaching the doorway. Before him was only the dark corridor.

The woman had gone.

Ben's head spun. He needed to find her, but which way should he go first? Meg's voice once again brought him back into reality. She had been screaming his name but he hadn't noticed in his panic.

'Ben! Ben' she said shaking him. 'What is wrong with you?!'

'Maria' he said by way of an explanation.

It wasn't the first time that he'd said her name in a moment of confusion. Meg was somewhat used to it. But what came next was new to even her.

'I saw her' Ben said, his breath speeding up. 'She was right here'.

Meg finally understood. In this moment of fear, being that close to the trauma of losing her, Ben had imagined Maria in the doorway.

She placed her hands on his arms to steady him. 'Ben, it wasn't Maria ok? Let's just get out of here and call the cops and…'

'I know what I saw!' Ben said, pulling away from her grasp. 'I have to find her'.

'Ben stop!', Meg screamed and grabbed his hand to prevent him from chasing shadows down the corridor. She'd put up with Maria's ghost haunting them for too long. 'Maria's gone, ok? You were mistaken'.

Ben turned again to hear footsteps coming towards them.

Casey, Michael, Sarah, Vanessa and Gabi ran towards them into the darkened corridor.

Ben wasn't going to wait a minute longer. 'Casey, look after Meg please'. He tried to push past the group but Casey blocked him after hearing Meg scream at him to stop.

'Whoa man, what's going on?' Casey asked with concern, holding him back from moving any further.

'Maria' Ben said frantically. 'She's here'.

A collective gasp came from the group.

'He's not thinking straight' Meg said, tears of shock now streaming down her face. 'Casey tell him!'

'Look calm down and tell me what happened' Casey said calmly, keeping a firm grip on Ben's arms.

'Did any of you hit him with the fire poker?' Ben demanded before anyone could ask any more questions.

'Hit who?' Michael asked.

'A couple of minutes ago' Ben said impatiently pointing at the spot where he'd seen the woman. 'Were any of you at this doorway? Did you hit Derek?'

'Derek's back?!' Sarah said hysterically.

In the tangle of shock and concern, Ben could barely focus. All he knew was that no-one believed him.

'We've all just got here' he heard Casey say.

'Then if it was none of you, who was it!?' Ben shouted, addressing everyone.

No-one answered.

Casey held onto Ben, gently trying to bring him round, 'let's all calm down for a ...'

'JUST GET OFF ME!' Ben shouted and finally tore himself away from Casey's grasp, disappearing down the maze of corridors.

Meg placed her hands on the sides of her head, 'Oh my God, oh my God'.

Vanessa and Gabi rallied around Meg, enclosing her in a hug.

'We have to go after him, he's not in his right mind', Meg said shakily.

'I'm not going anywhere!' Sarah exclaimed dramatically.

Meanwhile, Michael tentatively had a look in the boiler room, finding Derek's body on the ground.

'I think it's best we get out of here' Michael said, gesturing to Derek.

'Right, we need to get a signal to call the cops' Casey said.

'No!' Meg said, suddenly regaining her strength. 'We're not doing anything until we find Ben'.

Everyone knew better than to argue with Meg when it came to her determination about Ben.

'Meg's right' Gabi reasoned. 'It's a storm out there, if Ben and this woman are out there alone, we need to go and help right now'.

Michael went into the boiler room to check Derek's pulse. Crouching over his body, he said 'I don't think he's going anywhere soon'.

Closing the door on Derek, the group scoured the house for torches and warm clothes to brace the storm with.

As they congregated at the bottom of the stairs five minutes later, Meg asked, 'I haven't even asked if you guys are ok, did he hurt you?!'

'All of us were locked in our rooms' Casey explained. 'Michael and I managed to smash the lock and force our way out, we got the girls out and came straight here to find you and Ben'.

'We're fine Meg, it's gonna be ok' Vanessa reassured her, not wanting to make the situation worse.

But as they rushed out of the front door, Vanessa sensed that whatever the outcome of their search, nothing was going to be ok.

Out in the woods, the woman was running. Barefoot and exhausted, she fought with the branches and dirt that snagged and clawed at her.

The wind was blowing aggressively, making it harder to see a path in the already blackened night. She didn't know where she was going, just that she had to run as fast as she could away from that house.

In the far distance, she could hear a man's voice calling out. Although she had no idea what he was saying, she knew he was chasing her. Now was her only chance of escape.

After tearing away from Casey, Ben ran out of the corridor and into the living area. Immediately, he saw the front door flung open and ran outside.

Looking left and right, he had to make a split decision on which way to go. Ahead would take him to the cliff edge so he ruled that out. Left was the way into town and the harbour. And right was more woodland.

Left would be the logical direction to take, he thought. But something was pulling him to go right. Perhaps it was instinct, or perhaps it was the knowledge that Maria was right handed and her own instinct would've taken her that way.

He had a second to decide, and in that second he followed his gut and went right.

Running through the trees, he called her name over and over again until it felt like his own voice was separate from his body. The darkness was so thick, the wind so strong that anyone else would've turned back by now.

But the brief glimpse of those eyes that Ben had witnessed in the house we enough to keep him pushing on.

Out at the front door of the house, the group stood shining their torches in circles for any sign of Ben.

'Which way?' Gabi asked.

'You know I think I'd be better use staying here' Sarah said, realising the severity of the weather and struggling to pull the hair away from her face.

'You wanna stay with the dead man?' Michael said teasingly.

Sarah's eyes widened suddenly remembering Derek was in the house.

'How about half of us go left and half right?' Vanessa suggested. 'Casey, Sarah, Gabi go right and the rest of us go into town'.

'I am NOT going into the woods!' Sarah piped up.

'Oh will you shut up Sarah!' Meg screamed in frustration.

The sisters began arguing, incoherent squeals coming from both of them.

But Casey for one wasn't focussed on that. Over the years his work as a lifeguard had helped him to identify the sounds of people calling for help in the distance.

'Guys stop! Do you hear that?' he said. 'There's someone's shouting in the forest out there'. Casey turned to where the thick row of trees began.

'You sure Casey?' Meg asked warily, not hearing anything. She didn't want to risk going the wrong way.

'As sure as I can be right now' he said.

'Then let's go...all of us' Meg replied.

The woman continued to run. By now, her feet were bleeding, and her dress was torn.

All she had to rely on was her sense of smell. Every now and then she would inhale the sea breeze and she followed it until it became stronger.

Suddenly, the wind started to pick up, almost carrying her forward. She knew that to mean she was out of the woods, no longer protected from the elements by the trees. No longer protected from him.

The forest floor was now replaced by hard rock. Although she could barely see, she could hear the sea's waves rising, crashing and falling. She knew instinctively where she was.

With nowhere left to run or hide, the woman stopped fighting, letting the wind and rain lash over her. There was only one place left to go. Trembling, she walked to the cliff edge.

Forward Ben went. It was his only option. If he turned left or right in the woods, he was sure to get lost. He had to rely on the idea that the woman would've done the same thing.

It had felt like he'd been running for an hour, but in reality it was only ten minutes before he reached a clearing in the woods. The trees were suddenly replaced by an expanse of empty space.

With no trees surrounding him, he could hear much clearer. He turned back to the woods, glimpsing a small shard of light between the trunks. The rest of the group must not be far behind him.

He had found the edge of the island, he was sure of it.

'Maria!' he called again, squinting into his surroundings. He walked ahead on a slight incline, planning to walk around the edge of the island.

And then he spotted it. Silhouetted on the cliff edge was the woman in white.

Ben's heart skipped. Firstly with relief, and then with panic. It would only take him a few seconds to get to her if he ran but something about the way she stood concerned him. She was standing so close to the edge that Ben couldn't see where the rockface finished and she began. Her head was bowed, looking into the sea that started five metres below.

If he called out now, he could startle her. Holding his breath he stepped closer to her until he was only ten metres away.

'Maria?' he said as calmly as he could, though he had to raise his voice to be heard over the wind. 'Is it...is it you?'

The woman lifted her head and turned. Ben had been so sure it was her, but now in the darkness he was too far to make out her face. He began to second guess himself. Maybe Meg was right, maybe he had been mistaken. After all, why would Maria run from him?

She said nothing and he tried again.

'It's me, Ben' he said. 'Don't be afraid'.

The woman took a sudden step back, but this time it wasn't because of him. A band of light flashed behind him. The group had arrived.

'Ben!' Meg screamed.

Ben shot out his arm behind him, 'stay there! Don't come any closer'.

They obeyed, stopping just in hearing distance.

The woman was clearly scared. Of what, he didn't know but whether this was Maria or not, he had to help her. A group of people cornering her wasn't going to help.

'Listen' he said. 'Please just come away from the edge. No-one's going to hurt you'. He reached out his hand to her, stepping closer inch by inch.

The woman took another step back from him.

'Ben be careful!' Meg yelled. He was getting close to the edge now too.

He was straining his eyes, desperate to catch another glimpse of her face, but it was no use.

The woman took one last look at the sea beneath her, and back up at the man she was so desperate to escape. In a final moment of resolve, she took her only chance and jumped.

Ben watched as she leapt lightly off the cliff, her dress billowing around her making her look almost angelic.

"MARIA!"

This time he didn't wait. He didn't even register the screams behind him telling him to stop. He ran across the rocks to where she had just stood.

Without a second of doubt about the jagged rocks and violent waves that could hit him, he dived in after her.


End file.
